As is known in the art, “En plein air” is a French expression that means “in the open air,” and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors. The “pochade box” or sketch box was developed for use by artist to carry their supplies for painting and sketching in the “open air” using the natural light. The “All In One Pochade Box” from Sienna Plein Air, Craftech International Inc. Huntington Beach, Calif. 92648, provides a pochade box designed to carry all the essentials for a day of plein air painting. The pochade box has three large storage compartments as well as a wet panel storage compartment that allows you to carry two 9×12 or two 8×10 painting panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,694,806 (Huggins) describes an artist's paint box. The paint box has a combination hinged easel and cover and storage compartment having a hinged cover. A removable palette mates within the box and has opposing cutouts substantially parallel to each other and another cutout transverse to the opposing cutouts. The opposing cutouts and the transverse cutout form a substantially U shape. A recessed paint color mixing area is formed between and adjacent the opposing cutouts and adjacent the transverse cutout. A recessed paintbrush and tool holding area is adjacent the transverse cutout and opposing the recessed paint color mixing area. Paint wells are placed within the opposing cutouts and the transverse cutout. Each of the paint wells has opposing side ridges resting on opposing edges adjacent each of the opposing cutouts and other opposing edges adjacent the transverse cutout.
Further, as is known in the art, a mahl stick is a stick or thin pole about a meter in length (three feet) with a ball-shape pad at one end, used as an aid in painting, particularly in oil painting. A mahl stick is useful when painting detail or when painting in a large area where the paint is still wet to avoid touching the surface accidentally. The ball-end of the mahl stick is rested on the edge of the canvas, on the easel, or even on a spot of the painting that's dry. The other end is held up with the artist's non-painting hand and the arm holding the brush is placed on the stick while painting.
The artist paint box or the pochade box forces the artist to handle wet canvases as they are placed in the box for transport, thus allowing the wet painting to accidentally be touched when being moved. Further the pochade box or a paint box does not provide a region for steadying a mahl stick.